C.-S., Nam, D.-H., Quintero-Bermudez, R., Zhuang, T.-T., Li, Y.C., Han, Z., Britt, R.D., Sinton, D., Agapie, T., Peters, J.C., Sargent, E.H., 2020. Molecular tuning of CO -to-ethylene conversion. Nature 577, 509-513. 2

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1782-2 The electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide, powered by renewable electricity, to produce valuable fuels and feedstocks provides a sustainable and carbon-neutral approach to the storage of energy produced by intermittent renewable sources. However, the highly selective generation of economically desirable products such as ethylene from the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO RR) remains a challenge. Tuning the 2 stabilities of intermediates to favour a desired reaction pathway can improve selectivity, and this has recently been explored for the reaction on copper by controlling morphology, grain boundaries, facets, oxidation state and dopants. Unfortunately, the Faradaic efficiency for ethylene is still low in neutral media (60 per cent at a 9 partial current density of 7 milliamperes per square centimetre in the best catalyst reported so far ), resulting in a low energy efficiency. Here we present a molecular tuning strategy - the functionalization of the surface of electrocatalysts with organic molecules - that stabilizes intermediates for more selective CO RR to ethylene. 2 Using electrochemical, operando/in situ spectroscopic and computational studies, we investigate the influence 11 of a library of molecules, derived by electro-dimerization of arylpyridiniums , adsorbed on copper. We find that the adhered molecules improve the stabilization of an 'atop - bound' CO intermediate (that is, an intermediate bound to a single copper atom), thereby favouring further reduction to ethylene. As a result of this strategy, we report the CO RR to ethylene with a Faradaic efficiency of 72 per cent at a partial current density 2 of 230 milliamperes per square centimetre in a liquid-electrolyte flow cell in a neutral medium. We report stable ethylene electrosynthesis for 190 hours in a system based on a membrane-electrode assembly that provides a full-cell energy efficiency of 20 per cent. We anticipate that this may be generalized to enable molecular strategies to complement heterogeneous catalysts by stabilizing intermediates through local molecular tuning.

Li, H., Zhang, J., Xu, Q., Hou, C., Sun, Y., Zhuang, Y., Han, S., Wu, C., 2020. Influence of asphaltene on wax deposition: Deposition inhibition and sloughing. Fuel 266, 117047.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016236120300429 Asphaltenes are the heaviest and most polar constituents of crude oils. The influences of asphaltene on wax deposition were investigated with model oils utilizing a Taylor-Couette device. The composition and rheological properties of the deposits and the chemical properties of the asphaltenes entrained in the deposits were analyzed. Three main observations were obtained: (a) Wax deposition rate decreases in the presence of asphaltenes while the wax content of the deposit increases. The carbon number distribution of the deposit and the critical carbon number of the deposition process were also observed to vary due to the presence of asphaltenes. (b) The asphaltene content of the deposit constantly increases as time elapses and eventually reaches several times higher than that of the original oil. The asphaltenes entrained in the deposits are of higher polarity and molecular weight than the asphaltenes originally present in the oil. (c) When the asphaltene content of the oil is above 0.2 wt%, deposits slough off frequently as asphaltenes alter the microstructure of the deposit and lower its yield strength.

Li, J., Roche, B., Bull, J.M., White, P.R., Davis, J.W., Deponte, M., Gordini, E., Cotterle, D., 2020. Passive acoustic monitoring of a natural CO seep site - Implications for carbon capture and storage. International Journal of 2 Greenhouse Gas Control 93, 102899.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1750583619303780 Estimating the range at which an acoustic receiver can detect greenhouse gas (e.g., CO ) leakage from the sub- 2 seabed is essential for determining whether passive acoustic techniques can be an effective environmental monitoring tool above marine carbon storage sites. Here we report results from a shallow water experiment completed offshore the island of Panarea, Sicily, at a natural CO vent site, where the ability of passive 2 acoustics to detect and quantify gas flux was determined at different distances. Cross-correlation methods determined the time of arrival for different travel paths which were confirmed by acoustic modelling. We develop an approach to quantify vent bubble size and gas flux. Inversion of the acoustic data was completed